


Alea Iacta Est

by TwilightKnight17



Series: How to Kill a God [5]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Birthday Party, Gen, Goro and Lavenza are doing their best, P5R Spoilers, Palace Deadline Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28161006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightKnight17/pseuds/TwilightKnight17
Summary: Even those on the most dire of quests need a break once in a while. And Goro would be a terrible friend if he missed one of the Phantom Thieves’ birthday party.
Series: How to Kill a God [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967740
Comments: 19
Kudos: 77





	Alea Iacta Est

**Author's Note:**

> “Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.”

July 3rd, five months after the world ended, Goro was getting ready to attend a birthday party.

He hummed to himself as he checked his appearance in his bedroom mirror, pushing his bangs from one side to the other. He was being picky with his outfit, but it would be worth it. Ryuji’s birthday was only once a year, and all the Thieves would be there.

Except one, of course.

He’d even gotten new clothes especially for the occasion. Black slacks, neat black shoes, Akira’s crisp white Shujin polo, and the black jacket that Akira had worn in November and December when it started getting colder. The party was at the Wilton Hotel, after all. He had to look his best.

“Knight,” Lavenza began, kicking her feet where she was sitting on his bed. Apparently his apartment had developed enough cognition of ‘safe room’ for her to manifest for at least a little while, so they could speak face to face. “Did you… steal the Trickster’s clothes?”

“Yes. Yes I did,” Goro said, glancing over his shoulder. “I want them to see Akira’s clothes and do a double-take. I’m not going to this party to have fun.” He went back to scrutinizing his appearance, then glanced over at the box of clothes he’d swiped from Akira’s attic. “The plaid pants would be more striking, but I don’t know if I can bring myself to wear them.”

Lavenza frowned. “...I think they would look nice on you, but I admit that my siblings and I only wear blue, so I cannot provide a nuanced opinion.”

Goro grumbled to himself. “Close your eyes again.” Once he made sure that she wasn’t looking – he didn’t trust her curiosity about the human world not to extend to watching him change clothes – he swapped his dress pants for Akira’s plaid school pants, put on one of his white button-downs, and then shrugged Akira’s black jacket back on. “Okay… They don’t look as tacky as I thought.”

_You thought they looked fine on the thief,_ Loki reminded him helpfully, and he mentally shooed his persona away, along with Robin’s silent approval.

“They turn up your eyes,” Lavenza said confidently. When Goro turned around to stare at her, puzzled, she said more hesitantly, “...because of the red. Was that not right?”

Against his will, Goro found himself smiling. “I think you’re trying to say they ‘bring out’ my eyes,” he corrected gently. “But I get what you meant.”

He turned back to look at the mirror, still critical, and Lavenza hopped off the bed and came over to stand beside him. “I think you look better in black,” she said. “Does the Trickster have any black shirts?”

“Maybe?” Together, they dug through the box, looking for a black shirt that wasn’t part of Akira’s pajamas. Eventually, Goro unearthed a black turtleneck, and at Lavenza’s urging, tried it on. “...damn it.”

He looked _really good_ in the turtleneck. And with the plain blazer over it? It made the plaid more subtle. Less obnoxious. In another life, he could have been the sharp-dressed student council president. He was probably going to be too hot. He’d be sweaty by the time he made it to the hotel. But it would be worth it for the looks on their faces. “Thank you, Lavenza. It looks… really good, actually.”

She beamed with pride. “Please let me know if I can do anything else to help,” she said. “I’ve felt… so useless.”

Goro knew how that felt. “Keeping me company so I don’t lose my mind in this saccharine nightmare has been helpful enough,” he assured her. “And hopefully after today, we’ll put enough of a crack in things that your door can come back, and then we can make some _real_ progress.”

“I hope so…”

She changed back to a butterfly, fluttering up to perch on the pocket of his blazer like a fancy pin, and he made sure he had his keys, wallet, and phone before heading out.

When he arrived at the Wilton, the Phantom Thieves were already there, crowded around two tables that had been pushed together to accommodate the size of their group. Most waved when they saw him, and Futaba said brightly, “Now that we’ve assembled the party, the feast can commence!”

“Dude, what are you wearing?” Ryuji was sitting at the head of the table in the birthday place of honor. “Are those the Shujin pants?”

Goro smirked. “I think they look nice on me.” He glanced around the little group, trying to gauge their reactions.

But Ann just shook her head, laughing. “Jeeze, I’m not even surprised. Of course you’re wearing Akira’s clothes.”

“...what?”

“Well, that’s what significant others do, right?” she teased. “Wear each other’s clothes? That’s Akira’s shirt and jacket, too. I can tell. The pin is pretty, too.”

Goro blinked at her, as Lavenza held perfectly still, presumably observing. Was _that_ what they thought? “We’re not… ‘significant others’, Takamaki-chan. I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong idea.”

“Suuuure~” Ann drawled. “Whatever you say. Come on, let’s eat!”

She rounded the table to grab his hand and drag him towards the buffet, and he went without further protest. He’d been invited, after all. It would be a waste to ruin things before he got some of the food. And they would all let their guards down after a big meal, and he might have better luck making some kind of breakthrough.

Makoto and Haru were the only ones with mostly-balanced plates. The others were just binging on their favorites. Morgana had a mountain of sushi, Ann had more kinds of cake than he could keep track of, Ryuji was binging on meat… Yusuke and Kasumi had some of everything, with three or four plates each. And Futaba had the biggest bowl of noodles Goro had ever seen.

He’d chosen his share of desserts and ‘comfort foods’, things too complicated to make at home, and too expensive to get normally. And the food was good, even if being around the whole group was awkward. But once everyone had eaten their fill and was sipping on after-meal coffee and chatting, Goro pasted on his best plastic television smile and said brightly, “So, where’s Akira? I thought he was coming, too.”

The group fell dead silent.

“Akira said he had something important to do today,” Futaba piped up.

Goro raised an eyebrow. “More important than his best friend’s birthday?”

Ryuji shrugged. “He apologized, said he’d make it up to me. No big deal. Shit happens.”

All of them were being so casual about this, but there were cracks, and Goro metaphorically dug in his fingers and pulled, hoping for a tear. “I just think it’s odd that he wouldn’t try to reschedule whatever it was. You’re all so important to him, after all.”

“He’s always been a busy person,” Haru said. “And Ryuji is right, sometimes these things happen.”

“When was the last time any of you actually saw Akira?” Goro asked, point-blank like a bullet to the forehead.

“As Haru said, he has been busy,” Yusuke replied. “I haven’t seen him in some time. I assumed he was hard at work on his studies.”

“He’s got five part-time jobs,” Morgana said. “On top of school. And getting ready for entrance exams? Of course we haven’t seen much of him.”

“And none of you find that strange, after spending most of a year with him?” Goro pressed. “He used to make time for _everyone_ , no matter what.”

Makoto frowned. “Why are you being so persistent about this? It’s not a problem if he doesn’t show up to one event.”

Goro got up, still smiling. “It’s a _problem_ because he hasn’t shown up for _any_ events, and none of you care.” He slammed his hands on the table, making the stacks of empty dishes rattle. “None of you are paying attention. You all think everything is wonderful. You see me wearing Akira’s clothes out of nowhere and assume we’re _dating_ , instead of thinking it’s strange. You’re content to walk around in your perfect little fantasy worlds, because despite all your pretty words and your simpering apologies for falling for a giant lie, you’re all _weak_. The same lie, all over again! That’s all it took! Ask yourselves, where the fuck is Akira? Why haven’t any of you seen him? Why are you so _useless_ without him here to knock some sense into your stupid heads?!”

He’d gotten louder and louder, until he was shouting at them, and half the buffet was openly staring as he turned on his heel and stormed out.

That had been unfair. They weren’t Wild Cards. They had no defense against Maruki’s brainwashing bullshit. But it still stung to see how completely oblivious all of them were to the state of their supposedly-precious leader. How willing they were to just assume he was fine and move on, and how quick they were to rationalize away discrepancies.

Footsteps pounded behind him as he crossed the lobby of the hotel, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Kasumi… no, _Sumire_ chasing after him.

“Senpai!” she called, skidding to a halt in front of him. “Why did you just run off like that?”

Goro scowled. “I can’t deal with them when they’re like that. I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong.”

“But they’re your friends.”

“No, _Sumire_. They’re _Akira’s_ friends.”

Goro watched with a bitter kind of satisfaction as the color drained from the girl’s face. She stumbled over her attempts to speak a few times, then managed, “Wh-Why would you call me that?” Her voice trembled.

“Because that’s who you are. _Sumire Yoshizawa_.”

Sumire’s eyes welled with tears, and she took a shallow, shaky breath, clearly on the verge of some kind of panic attack.

_You’re being so harsh,_ Robin said mournfully, and Goro did feel a bit bad. But he knew it wasn’t going to be enough to wake her up.

So he doubled down.

He reached out a hand and rested it gently on her head. She looked up at him hopefully, and he smiled.

“Kasumi Yoshizawa died protecting you from being hit by a car. You are not her.”

Sumire’s mouth fell open, and a choked sob escaped her as she fell to her knees, tears spilling down her face. Goro watched her break. It was a shame he’d had to hurt her, but any crack in reality was a step forward.

A security guard approached from the side of the lobby. “Sir? Is there a problem?”

It took a split-second for Goro to decide that if he’d already ruined Ryuji’s birthday and made Sumire cry, he might as well push as far as he could. “Nope, no problems. She’s just having a breakdown because I reminded her that she’s impersonating her dead sister.”

“S-Sir?” The guard looked like he didn’t know what to do with that information. “Sir, I think it would be best if you left.”

“Really?” Goro asked, smiling brightly. “I think it would be best if you fucked off and minded your own business.”

The guard looked even more alarmed, and backed up, using his radio to request backup. “I need you to leave the building right now. You can’t act like that here.”

_Don’t listen to him,_ Loki encouraged. _Is there anything we can set on fire?_

“Oh, act like what? Like the only sane person in this building?” Goro deliberately taunted. For the first time in a long time, he could feel Robin and Loki much closer to the surface. Like the power was there; he just had to reach out and grab it. As more security guards entered the room, he spotted the rest of the Phantom Thieves coming out of an elevator, probably looking for Sumire. So he shouted, making sure the whole room could hear, “I’m not going to pretend to be happy! And I’m not going to stop until I end this bullshit!”

“Sir!” the first guard cried. The whole lobby was staring now, watching the yelling young man and the crying girl backing away from him.

“Goro, what the heck?!” Ann called.

Loki surged forward in his mind, calling for chaos and madness, and for once, Robin didn’t try to restrain him. Goro stumbled, and the blue butterfly flitted up to his shoulder.

_Knight! If the collective unconscious has merged with reality…!_

“Merged with reality…” Goro repeated, and as he made the connection, his persona shrieked with triumph.

It was harder in a blended space than when he was completely in the metaverse, but somehow he was able to reach inside himself and call out to his power. He had never wanted to do this again, but if anything was going to put a wrecking ball through this picture-perfect nonsense, a little chaos would do the trick. _“Come, Loki!”_

The striped persona appeared above him, translucent but inarguably there, and as people started screaming, Goro gestured to the crowd with a wide sweep of his arm. “Break them! As many at once as you can!” Mentally, he commanded Loki to avoid the Phantom Thieves, but anyone else was fair game.

Loki cackled as he cast Call of Chaos, and people all around went still as the chains on their hearts snapped. For a moment, they were calm rocks in the center of the panic filling the room, but then a woman turned and slapped the man next to her hard enough to send him to the floor, and all hell broke loose.

As the lobby dissolved into the utter chaos of people acting on their unrestrained impulses, Goro sprinted for the door. This was something huge, noticeable. Maruki would undo it quickly. But for now, it was a big, gaping hole in a perfect world. He caught a glimpse of a man shoving expensive trinkets from the gift shop into a bag, a woman furiously trying to kiss one of the front desk staff, a man halfway through stripping his pants off, and one of the security guards sliding down the railing of the main stairs.

As he darted out the front door, he couldn’t help but laugh. He could summon his personas in Tokyo. It was a challenge, but he could do it! The possibilities for wrecking things had multiplied by a million! And the more he could ruin at once, the more Maruki’s grasp on things would waver.

With Lavenza nestled safely on his collar beneath his hair, he ran towards the train station.

He couldn’t wait to tell Akira.

It was almost a form of torture, having to wait for the train to reach its destination. But once he was in Yongen, it was no time at all to reach Leblanc, and he brushed past Sojiro with barely a hello to reach the stairs to the attic.

“Where are you going?” Sojiro called, sounding alarmed. It was strange; he hadn’t reacted to Goro going upstairs since that first day. But Goro was already nearly at the top of the staircase. He had a half-formed hope that maybe good news, for once, would be the thing that could wake Akira.

And then he faltered, reeling back so abruptly that he almost overbalanced back down the stairs to the landing.

Akira wasn’t in bed.

Akira was gone.

“Hey, kid,” Sojiro said, coming up the stairs behind him. “It’s generally not good manners to sprint into people’s storage rooms. What the heck are you doing up here?”

“Where’s Akira?” Goro asked, trying not to sound as emotional as he felt. Was Akira awake? Was he out looking for his friends? ...out looking for Goro?

“Akira?” Sojiro raised an eyebrow. “He said he had something going on today and he’d be out til late. Why?”

“I… I just really needed to talk to him,” Goro said. It sounded lame even to his own ears. “I’ll just text him, I suppose.”

He stepped around Sojiro to go back downstairs, fully-aware of the man’s confused gaze on his back. Something wasn’t right.

Something wasn’t right.

And when he left Leblanc and pulled out his phone, and a voice from down the street called cheerfully, “Akechi-kun!”, he knew for certain. This was just another move in a terrible game.

“What the fuck do you want?” Goro said sharply, and Maruki smiled.

“I thought we could take a few minutes and chat,” he said, sounding completely at-ease. Goro hated him so much. “I’m sure you know why.”

“You’ve pulled some new bullshit,” Goro huffed. He reluctantly fell into step as Maruki ambled deeper into the residential streets of Yongen, making sure Lavenza was safely hidden in his hair. He didn’t think Maruki could see her, but he didn’t want to take any chances. “Where is Akira? What have you done to him now?”

Maruki glanced at him. “You have to understand, Akechi-kun,” he said. “I’ve given you a lot of leeway the past few months. This challenge you’ve given yourself needs a certain degree of freedom to work. But you’ve taken things a bit far.”

Goro stopped walking, incredulous. “I’m sorry, _I’ve_ taken things a bit far?” he demanded. “You manipulate and groom teenagers, and when one won’t do what you want, you _punish him_ by trapping him in perpetual sleep, and _my_ actions are where you draw the line?”

“I’ve overlooked mayhem, vandalism, and arson, but your actions today could have caused serious harm to people,” Maruki said. “And you made Yoshizawa-san cry.”

“Everything you’ve done to Akira, and _making Sumire cry_ is too much!” Goro snarled, feeling mildly hysterical. Maruki really was a terrible influence on his self-control.

Maruki tilted his head. “You burned down a building. That’s really not acceptable behavior in any reality.”

“Neither is using and kidnapping people, but here we are. I’m not going to ask again. Where the fuck is Akira?”

“After today, I think it’s much safer to keep him in the Palace,” Maruki said. “After all, if people start going psychotic, there may be collateral damage. I wouldn’t want him to get hurt.”

Goro could hear what he wasn’t saying. Summoning his personas in the merged reality was something that Maruki was very unhappy about. Something that he might not have expected was possible. Goro really could do a lot more damage now, so taking Akira was an implicit threat. Maruki now had Akira close at hand, away from Goro, and could do _anything_ to him if Goro pushed too far beyond the parameters of the ‘game’ they were playing.

He realized he hadn’t responded when Maruki asked gently, “Do you understand? It’s for his safety. I’m sorry if that upsets you.”

“...you’re not sorry,” Goro murmured. “You think you are, but you’re not. 

“Not yet.”

Maruki stared at him for a moment, at a loss for what to say. But then he just shook his head. “I should get back. I’ve fixed the mess at the hotel, but there are still things to do. Be well, Akechi-kun.”

He was gone as though he’d never been there. Goro glared at the spot he’d previously occupied. Dealing with Maruki directly made him enraged in a way that filled his vision with red. He wanted the man to come back so that he could pull his arms off with his bare hands.

_We’re going to kill him,_ Loki hissed.

_...it’s what he deserves,_ Robin, amazingly, agreed.

He could handle this. If there was one thing he could do, it was deal with problems. This just changed the order of his goals a little. He was going to get Akira back, and then, once Maruki couldn’t use his thief against him, he was going to end this.

**Author's Note:**

> See me getting in on that Shujin!Goro agenda. Sort of. He looks very snazzy in the turtleneck. ;)


End file.
